Rotary drill bit and cutter



Dec. 22, 1953 w, KAMMERER 2,663,546

ROTARY DRILL BIT AND CUTTER Filed Feb. 9, 1951 2 Shegts-Sheet l 62 v i g5 ARCHER W KAMMEQEE, 25 v J 25 INVENTOR.

ATTOENEY- Dec. 22, 1953 w, ME 2,663,546

ROTARY DRILL BIT AND CUTTER Filed Feb. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R g: r

ATTORNEY. I

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 2,663,546 g 1 ROTARY DRILL BIT AND CUTTER Archer W. Kammerer, Fullerton, Calif.

Application February 9, 1951, Serial No; 210,140

The present invention-relates to bits for drilling wells, and more particularly to rotary drill bits having toothed roller cuttersu In the drilling of well bores through use of rotary drill bits embodying one or more tooth roller cutters, the formation material is removed mainly by a chisel-like action of the cutter teeth as they roll uponthe face of the formation. The teeth are more efiective when they can penetrate the formation properly and adequately, but their effectiveness is diminished in the event the cutter teeth track into previously formed impressions or indentations in -the formation made by the same or other cutter teeth. Such tracking problems areespecially-encountered in drill bits in which a path on the formation is traversed by only a single toothed roller cutter.

Accordingly, it is anobject of the present invention to provide a rotary drill bit embodying a'toothed roller cutter, whose teeth are arranged in such manner that they do not track into indentations in the formations that'have been produced previously. 7

Another object of the roller cutter for a rotary drill bit h ving some teeth that do not track into indentations orimpressions formed by other teeth of the same cutter.

- A further object of the invention is to provide a'rotary drill bit having a toothed roller cutter which alone traces a path on the formation, and in which tracking'of the cutter teeth into 'inde'ntations'in' theformation which they have previously formed is eliminated or greatly minimized;

Still another object ofthe'invention is to provide 'a rotary drill bit having a toothed rollerv cutter which alone traces a'path on the forma, tion, in which the teeth of the cutter are capable of producing a crisscross pattern of indentations in the formation, thereby facilitating removal of the formation material, especially when it is hard. Y

Yet a further object of the invention is to pro inventionis to provide a- Claims. (01. 255-76) vention; but it is to be understood that such detailed description is not to be taken in a limit-. ing sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a bottom plan view of the drill bit shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the drill bit, taken along the line 2--2 on Fig. 1, with the bit cutters in retracted position;

Fig. '3 is a diagrammaticcross-section lookin upwardly, illustrating the location of the cutters when in their respective expanded positions operating upon differentportions of the formation shoulder produced in the well bore;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic view, illustrating the different extents of-expansion of the cutters, and their manner of operating upon the formation shoulder which is produced in the well bore; Z

Fig-5 is a side elevation of one of the roller toothed cutters;

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of shown in Fig. 5; w

'Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of the. cutters shown in-Fig- 5, as seenfrom the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken along theline 8'- -8 onFi g.2. The drill. bit disclosedin the drawings "is; particularly. described. a and claimed in my applica tion for fMultiple Expansion Rotary, Drill Bits, Serial-No. 180,167,,filed August 'l8.,, 1950, although in itsbroader aspects the invention is applicable to other specific types ofrotary. drillbits. M As shown in the drawings, the drill bit A may beattached tothelowerendof a string of drill pipe-B by-meansof which the bit can be lowered through awell casinglnot shown), for the purpose of greatly enlarging the well bore belowthe casing shoe .(not shown) 'Ifhedrill bit cutters I 0, I Ila; 1 0b are .exp'andedoutwardly to. different extents, for the purpose of producingan annular-formation shoulder C in the well bore, the cutters operating upon difierent annular portions R; S; Tiofthis shoulder, for the purpose of collectively enlarging, the diameter of-ifthe well boretothedesired extent. j I f The drill bit. A.includes an .elongate main body l-i, inwhich a tubular. member [2 is piloted.

the. cutters The upper portionof thismemberis constitutedby a kelly 13 havingan 111 9 .1 threadedfpinjl l screwed into a sub] 5, which may formthe lowermost portion of .the drill pipe 13. The drill-stem member- 13 itselfnisslidably splined in the upper portion of.. -the bol'dy, as; by; forming the exterior N5 of the kelly of hexagonal shape, fitting within a corresponding hexagonal socket IT in the body. The drill stem member is provided with an external flange l8 fitting within the body, and serving the purpose of holding the drill stem member within the body. After the drill stem member [3 has been placed into the upper end of the body II, a retainer ring is may be disposed over the-member above its flange l8 and secured to the upper end of the body, as by use of welding material 20, in order to prevent upward withdrawal of the kelly l 3 from the body I I.

The body has a plurality of dependin leg portions Ila defining longitudinal transverse body slots 2|, in which cutter supporting mem so as to allow the kelly l3 and tubular member to be moved downwardly, for the purpose of holding the cutters l0, Illa, lllb and their supporting members 22, 22a, 22b in an outward position, resisting inward movement of the cutters from their outward position, and, under some conditions, actually shifting the cutters to their outwardly expanded position. The lower end of the mandrel member 30 is sl-idable in a lower guide 41 integral "with the-bod 1,1, and forming a support for the mandrel to resist its lateral movement.

The cutter supporting members or legs 22, 22a,

' 22b -and the 'cutters may be expanded outwardly bers 22, 22a, 22b are disposed. These e'utter" supporting members are preferably =equi-angu- The ball bearing elements 21 also serve to retain 1 the cutter on the bearing'supportmg pin. i

The 'b9411S --21 may be inserted between each outter lfl, Illa or 10b and its associated 'pin' 25 through a passage 28 in thelatter, which is closed by a suitable plug' 29 welded, or otherwise suitably-"secured; to thepin. a a

The bearing supporting 'i-nembers 22, 22a, 22b, and their cutters llljlfla 1 01), may occupy retracted positions substantially entirely within the confines of the main bit body II, or they may be expanded outwardly of the body to a larger efiective diameter than the inside diameter of a casing string (not shown) through which the bit is moved, for the purpose of enlarging the well bore below the ca'sing shoe-"(not' shown). In expanding the cutters f0, 'Hlafilllb, their supporting legs 22, 22a, 22b are swung outwardly about the hinge pins 23 to a predetermined-extent.

The device for holding the cutters expanded includesa lower tubularmeinber 30,which 'a'ct'u ally forms part of the mandrel l2, and which is piloted within a lower socket 3i the kelly IS. The keny l3 and lower tubular member 313 are assembled together for joint "longitudinal movement by a swivel connection32,'whichenables the l wer tubular member to move angu larly with respect to the uppenkelly. Such swivel connection may include ballbearing ele merits 33 mounted in a raceway 34 formed on an enlarged portion 35 of the lower member 30, the ball bearing'elements also being rollable in an internal raceway 36 formed in the belly it sel f. The balls may be inserted in place through a passage '31 extending through the Kelly flange it. After the "required number of balls have been mounted'i'n the rac'eways '34, '36, they are held in assembled position by a plug 38in the passageway 31', which is prevented from inadvertent outward rfiqveme trrom the passageway by engaging the 'ma'in'bit body 1].

The lower tubular member '3!) depends from its boss portion 35 through a guide and thrust member 39, which rests upon a' shoulder 4'0 'for'med ion the body." "This thrust member initially-is idisposed belowthe lower end of the key 13,

by a compressed helical expander spring 50 encompassingthe'tubular member 30 and bearing uponan upper-seat or shoulder 5| formed in the main body of the bit. The lower end of the sprin'g'bears upon an upper thrust block 52, that has a pin 53 carrying the upper end of a link or connecting rod 54, whose' lower end'is pivotally mounted on a pin 55 suitably securedto thecuttersupporting leg 22. I

Slidable on the-mandrel 30 below the upper thrust block '52 'an intermediate thrust block 52a having a'pin 53a o'n which the upper end of a thrust link or connecting rod5 la-is' pivoted, the" lower-end of this link-being pivoted on a pin 55a secured to another'on'e'of the cutter support ing' members or legs 22a. Yet another or lower thrust block 52b (Fig. 4) is 'sl i'd'ableon 'the' man drel below the intermediate th rust block 52a' and carries the pin 536- on which'theupper end of a lowermost link 54'!) is pivotally mounted'th'e lower end ofthis link beingpivoted on "a pin 551)- secured to still a third cutter supporting member or leg 22b.

As illustrated,- the' 'upper, intermediate-and lower thrust blocks 52, 52a,-52b' are slidable on a reduced diameter lower portion 30a of the tubular member-30, the-upperthrustblockfi2 being initially disposed adjacent :a mandrel shoulder 30b, which may engage the upper portion of the upper thrust bloc-k5 One manner of expanding the cutters outwardly is to allow-the compressed spring 50 to expand, which will shiftthe upper thrust block 52 downwardly on the mandrel 30, and, through the agency-of the l'ink'54, urge the cutter supportingleg 22 and-the cutter!!! outwardly; The upper thrust-block 52 will move downwardly under the-infiuenceof the spring 50 until'it engages the intermediate thrust block 5211, the spring then moving both the upper'and intermediate blocks 52, 52a downwardly as a unit to urge the cutter sup orting legs 22 31111220; outwardly. Thereafter, as the spring 50 continues to eX-pand, the 3 intermediate thrust block 52a engage's'the lower thrust -block 521), the three blocks 52, 52a, tz'b'movmg downwardly "as a unit to urge all three or thebutter' supporting legs 22, 221112217 and'their associated cutters Ill, 1-021 and lb outwardly, through the agency of the intermediate connecting rods 54,54lt,5lb.i The extent of expansion is limited by engagement of the "lower'th'rust' block 52bwith the lower body guide 4|. I V

The cutters 1 0, l fla, fllb lflay'be locked in retractedpositiondnitially "by a holding device, with the expander sprin'g 5ll fully compressed, and with the driving mandrel l2 occupying an upwardpo'sitio'n within the body I]; so as to insure downward passage of the-bit' throughthe well "casing, andto enableth bit to be 'moved to any desired point in -the-'well'-bore below the casing shoe before the, hole enlarging operation is commenced. This holding devicemay include a holding plate til having holes 6| receiving the lower end of the ball retaining plugs 29. The plate 66 will prevent outward expansion of the cutters until the former member is removed. Such removal may be eirected hydraulically. Thus, a central rod 52 is secured to the plate and projects upwardly into the central passage 380 formed through the lower tubular member 30. A head 63 at the upper end of the rod fits loosely within the passage 300, to enable fluid to flow upwardly through the tubular member passage and the Kelly passage I3?) and into the drill pipe string B. A ball Ed may also be disposed in the passage 30c, or may be dropped down the drill pipe B when the cutters are to be expanded, this ball having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the passage $90; so as to function as a piston and enable the fluid under pressure within the drill pipe B and drill bit to force the central rod 62 downwardly and remove the holding plate ts from the plug elements 29, whereupon the cutters It, Ida, ieb and their supporting members 22, 22a, 221) can be shifted laterally outward, either by the expander spring 56, the driving mandrel I 2, or both. 7 I

v It is desired to haveeach of the cutter member operate upon a particular annular portion of the formation shoulder. Thus, the cutter member H] is to operate around the annular portion R of the shoulder (see Fig. 4); the cutter member liia is to operate upon the annular portion S of the shoulder; and the cutter mem ber lflb is to operate upon the annular portion T of the shoulder. Inasmuch as these annular portions are disposed different lateral distances from the axis of the well bore, the cuttersare to be expanded outwardly different amounts to locate each cutter at it proper position upon the formation shoulder C.

Since the cutter supporting leg 22 and its cutter iii are to be swung outwardly from their fully retracted position to the greatest extent, the pin connection fiti'between the connecting rod 54 and the cutter supporting leg 22 is disposed alesser distance from the hinge pin 23 of the cutter supporting leg 22, than the distance from its hinge pin of the pin connection 55a. between the second cutter supporting leg 22a and its connecting rod Eda. Similarly, the distance from the hinge pin 23 for the cutter supporting leg 22b and its pin connection 551) with its connecting rod 5% is greater than the distance between the hinge pin of the second leg 22a and its pin connection 55a to its link or connecting rod 54a. Accordingly, for the same longitudinal movement, the upper thrust block 52 will swing its cutter supporting leg 22 a greater arcuate extent than the intermediate thrust block 52a will swing its cutter supporting leg 22a, and this latter thrust block will, in turn, swing the cutter supporting leg 22a a greater arcuate distance than the lower thrust block 52b swings the cutter sup porting leg 22b. v t 7 Despite the fact that the lever arm distance ofthe pins 55, 55a, 55b connecting the rods 54, 54a, 54b to the cutter supporting members diiie rent, it is desired to have the first cutter supporting leg 22 swing outwardly to a certain arcuate extent before the intermcdiate supportin leg 22a commences moving outwardly'from its retracted position. Also, this intermediate leg 22ais to swing outwardlly from its iully re,-

and cutter Ill outwardly before the upper thrust block 52 engages the intermediatethrust block to commence outward swinging of the ,in-,;

Similarly, a;

termediate leg 22a and cutter Ilia. longitudinal space exists initially between the intermediate and lower thrust blocks 52a, 52b, to require the intermediate thrust block 5211. to, swing the intermediate cutter Ilia outwardly to a certain arcuate extent before it engages the lower thrust block 52b and shifts the latter downwardly, to effect outward swinging of the cutter supporting leg 22?) and cutter lilb.

Thus, the upper thrust block 52 will move downwardly to shift the cutter Hi outwardly, and while the drill string and bit is rotating, cause the cutter to start producing the formation shoulder C. After the inner portion T of this formation shoulder is formed by the outward expansion of the cutter lfl, the upper thrust block 52 will then engage the intermediate thrust mask; and commence shifting the intermediate out: ter its. outwardly. The first cutter Ill has been expanded outwardly to a greater extent than; the second cutter Mia and will remainv in advanced position during rotation of thei drill bit, whereby the first cutter Ill enlarges the formationshoulder C to a still greater latei'a l extent as by commencing tooperate upon the formation shoulder portion S The second cutter I 80,, during further outward swinging of the first cutter it, will be disposed over the inner portion T of the formationshoulder. As the two thrust blocks 52, 52a move downwardlyas a unit along the mandrel as, to expand their cutters l0, Hui outwardly, the intermediate block engages the lower thrust block 521) and commences urgingthe' remaining cutter supporting leg 22band cutter lflb outwardly. Inasmuch as all three thrust blocks are contacting one another, they will swing outwardly simultaneously, the first sup porting member 22 and its cutter l0 leading the second supporting member 2221 and it cutter- Illa in lateral extent, and the second cutter support; ing member and its cutter, inturn, leadingthe remaining supporting member 22!) and its cutter: ifib in lateral extent. The blocks all continue moving downwardl to their maximum extent, the first cutter Iii swinging across and producing the entire formation shoulder C, and finally being capable of rolling around the outermostannular portion R of the shoulder. The second cutter Illa is capable of rolling around the intermediate annular portion S of the shoulder, and the third cutter Nib is capable of rolling around the inner annular portion T'of the shoulder, After the thrust blocks have been :s hiited downwardly by the spring 58, the production: of

the full shoulder C will enable the operator'to lowe'r the drill pipe B slightly, to telescope the mandrel I2 within the body ll until the lower end 8311 ofthe kclly l3 engages the thrust washer 39. The drilling weight can then be imposed directly through the kelly I S onto the body-l I, and through the hinge pins 23 and supporting members 22, 22a, 22b to the cutters m, la, mt. At the same time, the mandrel shoulder 39b is disposed immediately adjacent theiupper thrust bio-sk n, in order to new all of the-thrust "blocks in their-downward position and preclude the reactive forces of the formation on the cutters from-urging the latter inwardly to a position in which they would drill an undersized-hole. In efiect; the mandrel shoulder 30b looks or retains the cutters outwardly to their maximum expanded-'posi'tions.- I

The tool A is assembled with the parts occupyi ngf'the positions illustrated in Fig.2, the holding plated!) securing the cutters 10, 10a, 1-01) in retracted-position, with the spring 50 under maximum-compression, The tubular mandrel I2 is disposed upwardlywith respect to the body H, as limited by engagement of the Kelly flange l8 with theretainer ring- IS. *The bit-is attached to the drill pipe B and lowered in the well bore.

When the location in the bore hole below the casing shoe has been reached at which the underreaming or hole enlarging operation is to commence, the pumps at the top of the well bore arestarted' and the fluid in the drill pipe B subjected to pressure. This pressure acts upon the ball t and forces both-the ball and the central rod- 62 out of the passage 300; which removes the holdingplate 66 from the plug elements 29 and allows the entire holding device to be ejected from'the bit, leaving thepassage 3llc'free and allowing the circulating fluid to exit from the lower end "of the passage into the well bore, for the purpose ofcleaning the cutters and washing the cuttings upwardly to the top of the well bore.

After the holding device has been removed, the spring -"Ell can expand; This expanding actionfirst urges the upper block 52 downwardly,

and, through the thrust link 54, swings the first cutter i8 outwardly; forcing the cutter it! against the wall "of the formation. The drill pipe and the rotary drill'bit are then rotated at the proper speed, without imposing'drillingweight on the pipe and'bit, the single cutter l digging into the wall 'of the formation and commencing the productionof the inner portion T of the shoulder G therein" underthe influence of the spring 58. As the-spring expands, as a result of outward movement of the first cutter ID, the upper block 52 inoves-downuntil it engages the intermediate thrustblock 52a, which then urges the second cutter=-supporting member 22a and cutter Illa outwardly. The spring 50 continues its expansion, xsimultaneously shifting the first and second cutter supporting members 22, 22a and their associated cutters H], m outwardly, the first cutter-l8 leading the second cutter Ifia and continu'ing to enlarge the lateral extent or" the formation shoulder, commencing the production of the -intermediate portion S of the shoulder ,dur ing rotation of the drill bit.-

As -'the two cutters continue their outward movementas a result of expansion of the spring and downward movement of the upper and intermediate thrust blocks, the intermediate block 52 finally engagesthe lower thrust block 52b, which is urged downwardly to swing the third cutter-supporting member 2212 and 'cutter' lob outwardly-r Rotation of the drill bit 'is'continued,

the spring 'a'fl shifting all three blocks down- Wardlytogetherand urging .the cutters outwardl'y, the first 'cutter continuing ,the formation of the shoulder by producing the outermost portionR of the latter. When the lowerblock 52b engages the lower body guide 61 the cutters it, 40w, 1-02) are precludedfrom swinging outwardly to any furtherextent-but they are then. located with-the'outermostcutter 'I'B disposed upon the outermost portion -R. of the -'shoulder, the intermediate cutter Ilia on the intermediate portion S of the shoulder, and the innermost'cutter 1012: upon the innermost portion T of the shoulder.

The annular'pa'ths R, S, T traced by the cutters upon the formation shoulder C during rotation of the bit preferably overlap oneanother to a After the formation shoulder has been pro-' duced, primarily by the outermost cutter it],

down weightor drilling weight may be imposed on the drilling string B, which will-telescope the mandrel 12 in the body H and shift the lower end Ba of the kelly |3 into engagement with the thrust washer 39, the drilling weight then being transmitted directly'through the body II to the cutter supporting members 22, 22a, 22b and the cutters "H1, Illa, 1 11b." During the imposition of the drilling weight," the bit is rotated at the proper speed, the cutters operating upon their individual annular portions of the shoulder to remove the formation material in a downward direction, effecting the hole enlarging to the desired greatly increased diameter. As mentioned above, the downward telescoping of the driving mandrel I2 in the body II also locates the mandrel shouldertab-immediately adjacent the upper thrust block 52, to prevent any substantial" retraction of the cutters "from their maximum expanded positions.

When the well bore has been enlarged to the desired length,- or upon 'theycutters becoming dull, the entire tool may be removed from the well bore merely by elevating the drill string B. Such elevating movement will'lift the driving mandrel 52 within the main bi't body I] and will raise the mandrel shoulder 30%) above the upper thrust block 52. As the tool passes into an upper lesser diameter portion of the well bore, or into the well casing, the walls of the casing or well bore will engage the cutter supporting legs 22, 2211,2217, and force them inwardly against the action, of the expander spring 58. The cutter supporting members will. ride the wall of the casing during removal of the bit to the top of the Well bore.

In thetype of drill bit described above, there is only-a-single cutter rolling around each annular portion of the formation shoulder .C. Limitationsin space in the type of tool disclosed prevent the-use of more than one cutter for operation upon each annular shoulder portion, since the cutters must be disposed in retracted position in being moved longitudinally through the well casing; If the teeth on each frusto-conical cutter were all disposed in substantially the same relation to the cutter axis, such teeth might tend to track into indentations or impressions that they have previously formed in the formation shoulderC, which would diminish the extent of their penetration into the formation and would also retard the rate at which the cutter could drill away the formation material and make or enlarge the hole.

By virtue of the present invention, such tracking is minimized and the drilling effectiveness of each cutter is enhanced to a considerable extent. As shown in the drawings, each cutter I'll, lfla, [6b 'is of generally frusto-conical form, having teeth 86 disposed around its periphery. Each tooth has ,a back face, 8|, for-operation upon the side wall of the hole/and each tooth tapers toward the smaller end 82 of the frusto-conical cutter, in a manner similar to a bevel gear. Instead of all teeth on each cutter being arranged substantially alike with respect to the axis of the cutter, one set or group of teeth e is helically disposed or arranged; so as to lie in planes making an angle with radial planes through the cutter axis. Another set of helical teeth is also provided on the cutter. but such teeth are in clined in the opposite direction to the first set of teeth e. Each set of teeth e, f extends partially around the circumference of the cutter. At one side of the cutter the sets of teeth may be separated by one or more other teeth 9 which may be disposed radially of the cutter axis, or at some other angle to radial planes of the cutter that is substantially diiierent from the angles that the teeth e and I make with such radial planes. On the opposite side of the cutter from the location of the straight radial teeth g, a tooth h of partial length may extend from the larger end of the cutter toward the smaller end 82. This tooth h fills the gap that might exist between the end tooth of one helical set 6 and the end tooth of another set 1.

As each cutter rolls around its exclusive annular portion R, S or T of the formation shoulder C, the teeth make indentations in such annular portion, chipping away the formation material (Fig. 3). One set of teeth e will form indentations e inclined in one direction to radii extending from the axis of the well bore. Another set of inclined teeth f will produce oppositely inclined indentations f in the formation shoulder which are disposed at an angle to the well bore radii. In between such inclined indentations, the set of teeth g will form indentations 9 which are disposed at an angle to the indentations e and 1; whereas the single partial tooth above will form an indentation it between the sets of indentations c and 1.

As a cutter rolls around the face of its particular annular portion R, S or T of the formation shoulder C, as a result of a plurality of revolutions of the drill bit during the hole enlarging operation, the teeth of each set will cross the indentations or impressions produced in the face of the formation by the teeth of another set. For example, the teeth e will cross the indentations and g providing a crisscross pattern 85 that will facilitate breaking down of the formation into particles and its flushing from the well bore. Similarly, the teeth 1 will cross the indentations g and e at a substantial angle thereto; whereas, the teeth Q will cross the indentations e and f at a substantial angle thereto.

These teeth e, f and y will likewise operate upon the indentations it produced by the partial tooth h; whereas, this latter tooth will also crisscross the indentations e g formed by the other teeth.

It is, accordingly, apparent that the teeth of the cutter do not track into the same impressions or indentations produced in the face of the annular portion of the formation shoulder. Instead, the teeth crisscross the impressions made by one another, which more readily chips or chisels away the formation material. This action is of particular importance in drilling bits in which only a single cutter is available for operation upon a particular face R, S or T of the formation, inasmuch as no other cutter is operable upon such formation face.

The inventor claims:

1. In a rotary drill bit: a body; first cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; second cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; means engaging said first cutter means and said second cutter means for positively shifting said first cutter means laterally to a greater maximum extent from the axis of said body than said second cutter means; said first cutter means including a first roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation during rotation of said body about the body axis; said second cutter means including a second roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation within said other orbital path during rotation of said body about the body axis; each of said cutters having peripheral teeth lying in a plane normal to the cutter axis, which teeth are disposed at an angle to other peripheral teeth lying in said plane.

2. In a rotary drill bit: a body; first cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; second cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; means engaging said first cutter means and said second cutter means for positively shifting said first cutter means laterally to a greater maximum extent from the axis of said body than said second cutter means; said first cutter means including a first roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation during rotation of said body about the body axis; said second cutter means including a second roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation within said other orbital path during rotation of said body about the body axis; each of said cutters having a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in one direction to planes radiating from the cutter axis and a set of helical teeth inclined in the opposite direction to such planes.

3. In a rotar drill bit: a body; first cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; second cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; means engaging said first cutter means and said second cutter means for positively shifting said first cutter means laterally to a greater maximum extent from the axis of said body than said second cutter means; said first cutter means including a first roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation during rotation of said body about the body axis; said second cutter means including a second roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation within said other orbital path during rotation of said body about the body axis; each of said cutters having a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in one direction to planes radiating from the cutter axis, a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in the opposite direction to such planes, and a set of teeth inclined to said other sets of teeth.

4. In a rotary drill bit: a body; first cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement'with respect to said body; second cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with respect to said body; means engaging said first cutter means and said second cutter means for positively shifting said first cutter means laterally to a greater maximum extent from the axis of said body than said second cutter means; said first cutter means including a first roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital 'path on the formation during rotation of said body about the body axis;said second cutter means including a second roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation within said other orbital path during rotation of said body about the body axis; each of said cutters being frusto-conical and having a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in one direction to planes radiating from the cutteraxis and a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in the opposite direction to such planes. I

5. In a rotary drill bit: a body; first cutter means mounted on said body for lateral movement with-respect to said body; secondcutter means mounted on said body for lateral move ment with respect to said body; means engaging said-first cutter means and said second cutter means for positively shifting said first cutter means laterally to a greater maximum extent from the axis of said body than said second cutter means; said first'cutter means including a first roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation during rotation of said body about the body axis; said second cutter means 12 including a second roller cutter which alone traverses an orbital path on the formation Within saidother orbital 'path duririgrotatio'n of said bod about the body axis; each of said cutters being frusto-conicaland having a set of helical formation engaging teeth inclined in one direction to planes radiating from the cutter axis, a set of helical formation engaging teeth'inclined in'the opposite direction to such planes and a set of formation engaging teeth inclined to said other sets of teeth.

ARCHER. W. KAMMERER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES-PATENTS 

